Adding a bedroom in the garage

Hey guys, my husband and i have found we are becoming pretty good at do it yourself projects in our house. We would like to eventually add 3 bedrooms and a bathroom to our garage (it is plently big enough). For now due to finances we are adding one at a time, but have no idea how to start or what kind of cost we are looking at. Any hints, tips, suggestions, etc?"

Just a friendly word of advise. 1st check with your city building department. Most cities do not allow this or some will, but you need a city permit. It has taken me 6 years to settle a disput with my city over a similar situation.

The next step would be to layout on some graph paper the basic floor plan to scale. From there you will need to plan the electrical system, heating and A.C. System, plumbing system, framing details, insulation, and then get together with the city building dept. And see what else they need before they will approve the project.

That sounds like a fun project. A lot of work but it will be very rewarding.

I really agree with Amxer and Launchnet about going to the local City Building Code office to find out what the requirements are going to be prior to starting your project.

My daughter’s babysitter made her garage into a playroom years ago and ran into all kinds issues with the city. It’s easier to do it right the first time than have to redo it when the inspector tells you it’s not up to code.:smileymad: It’s always better to pre-act instead of react.

Once you get the ok from the city come back to the community for each step along the way. There are many different members with expertise from all aspects of home improvements. Each step will have to be inspected by the city before you move onto the next step. So that will give you time to visit the community for the how to for the next step.

With that said I wanted to give you a link to one of my previous post that had to do with adding a wall in a basement. It will give you the basic framing of a wall and how to drywall. Make sure that you run the entire plumbing and electrical systems prior to hanging any drywall. (Click here) This will give you an idea of what to expect once you’re ready to start your remodel.

I look forward to seeing you on the community and lending a hand whenever possible. (Figuratively speaking):smileyvery-happy:

I realism that in some areas building codes are somewhat lax and you could do projects like this without building code departments knowledge. There are several downsides to this one of the most obvious is that if the project is not approved and inspected and you sell the house the value of the three bedrooms and bathroom can not be added to the selling price of the house!